Bobbie Knight is an American businessperson, academic administrator and college president. She is the 15th president of

Miles College Miles College is a private historically black college in Fairfield, Alabama. Founded in 1898, it is associated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME Church) and a member of the United Negro College Fund. History Miles College bega ...

HBCU Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

in Fairfield, Alabama. Knight, who had been a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

of Miles College since July 2017, was appointed interim president of the school in August 2019, following the resignation of George French Jr. and she was selected as the permanent president six months later.

Biography

Knight has a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

at Tuscaloosa; and a J.D. degree from the

Birmingham School of Law The Birmingham School of Law is a state-accredited law school located in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1915 by Judge Hugh A. Locke, a judge of the Chancery Court and president of the Birmingham Bar Association, the Birmingham School of Law offe ...

. She is also a graduate of

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

’s

Kellogg School of Management The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (also known as Kellogg) is the business school of Northwestern University, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1908, Kellogg is one of the oldest and most p ...

. She spent 37 years working for

Alabama Power Company Alabama Power Company, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a company in the southern United States that provides electricity service to 1.4 million customers in the southern two-thirds of Alabama. It also operates appliance stores. It is one ...

, including in roles as vice president of the Birmingham Division, vice president of public relations, and general manager of supply chain. She retired from the power company in 2016. Knight is married to

Gary Burley Gary Steven Burley (born December 8, 1952) is a former American football player who played as a defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Bengals from 1976 to 1983, a ...

, a former professional football player.

References

African-American women academic administrators American women academic administrators African-American academic administrators Alabama Power American academic administrators 21st-century American businesswomen Birmingham School of Law alumni Northwestern University alumni Presidents of Miles College University of Alabama alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people African-American women in business 21st-century American women academics 21st-century African-American businesspeople 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics {{US-academic-stub